The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus and more particularly to an image pickup apparatus having a camera-shake correction function.
Some image pickup apparatuses such as a digital camera have a camera-shake correction function. For example, a method of camera-shake correction by moving an image pickup element with respect to a lens is disclosed (Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-65041). In this type of camera-shake correction mechanism, the image pickup element is required to move at a high speed and with good linearity so as to follow camera shake.
In this type of the camera-shake correction mechanism, the image pickup element is moved planarly. For example, a slider is moved in a yaw direction with respect to a shake base plate and an image pickup element holder is moved in a pitch direction in Patent Document 1. Thus, a piezoelectric actuator for linear movement in the two directions is provided on the shake base plate and the image pickup element holder. Moreover, a shaft portion for guiding movement of the slider and the image pickup element holder is arranged orthogonally. Furthermore, at a corner part on the upper right of the plate, a ball body is sandwiched.
However, with the configuration where the ball body is sandwiched, if the actuator is operated, the plate might rotate around the ball body as an axis. Then, inclination of the shaft portion is changed, and linearity of the camera-shake correction mechanism deteriorates. Particularly, if the ball body is arranged at the corner part, the change in the inclination of the shaft portion increases. Therefore, the camera-shake correction mechanism of Patent Document 1 has a problem that linearity deteriorates and camera shake cannot be effectively corrected.